Borderline Activities
Borderline Regional Arts Association (BRAA) is a group of approximately 50-60 artists from all disciplines – including but not limited to painters, sculptors, ceramists, papermakers, printmakers, weavers and felters, fibre artists, multi media artists.
While our base is at the Engine Drivers Barracks at the Tenterfield Railway Museum, our members hail from in and around the Granite Belt in Qld and NSW to as far away as the Darling Downs, Southern Downs and the Condamine Communities in Qld and the New England and Northern Rivers areas in in NSW.
Our focus varies year to year but always includes exhibition and professional development opportunities. We welcome new members and meet 9:30 am monthly on the Second Saturday at our base in the Tenterfield Railway Museum. You can download our latest membership form here.
Or to stay up to date with whats happening connect with us on facebook or Instagram.
@BorderlineRegionalArtsAssoc
Activities Blog
- Presidents Report 2026
Presidents Report AGM 2026
Once again, it has been a busy year for Borderline! From September 2025 we have been working through activities connected with our successful grant application with Create NSW. Two final workshops associated with the grant were held– Lizzie Horne’s Aluminium Etching at Wallangarra Hall in October 2025 and Liz Powell Book Binding this year at The Engine Drivers Barracks. Both were well attended with positive feedback and fed into exhibition work.
What has become a regular exhibition for us with Texas Regional Art Gallery finished in September 2025. Openings there are always well attended with a great afternoon tea. Thanks to Jane Henry, a Borderliner and a Texan, for coordinating. With shows like this we continue to support isolated and regional galleries.
The first of the grant supported shows was at Ceramic Break Sculpture Park, Warialda. Thanks go to Kerry Cannon assisted by Barbara Downey from Ceramic Break for making the exhibition possible and to Linda and Geoff Nye, and Sue and Bob Jurd who transported the exhibition to and from Warialda. Thanks to Helene Grimley and those who attended the opening for Borderline.
Our whirlwind exhibition tour – Regenerate Reimagine Renewal- kicked off again in 2026 at Gunnedah Bi-Centennial Art Gallery. Thanks go to Gay Landeta for initiating contact with this lovely gallery. She is a serious contender for the “Herding Cats Award” because of her spreadsheeting and pursuit of participants to fulfill deadlines. Grant funding enabled us to employ excellent regional couriers to get work to and from Gunnedah. The gallery curator was very impressed with the variety and standard of works and our organisation as a whole. Thanks also to Helen and Chris Adams for travelling to represent Borderline at the opening.
In between our exhibitions members found time to put in a strong representation of at SRAG’s LOL Exhibition, then there was a well-deserved break for those who wished to participate in the Art Retreat at “Tumbledown” in April. Supported by grant funding this year with strong attendance, it was a very fruitful working weekend.
Back to the exhibition trail! Next on our list was Glen Innes Art Gallery. They are a good group to work with and we had good sales over the exhibition period with a particularly strong opening event, supported by attendance of gallery volunteers and Borderline members. This exhibition ended up overlapping with the beginning of our final show on the road, at Surat on Balonne Gallery in central Queensland. Thanks to Sue Jurd for liaising with the gallery there, and thanks to Borderliners who really pulled out the stops to provide work for this final exhibition of 2026. We were fortunate to have grant funding to employ couriers for transport of works. When Surat is finishes we will have completed all our activities and fulfilled our grant commitments. The title of the grant application was Cultural Access -Regenerating Art Communities and I think we achieved that in spades.
In between all this the normal operations of the association have continued. Members voted to cease the Barracks Art Market, feeling it had run its course. In conjunction with the Railway Markets we are now running small Members 4 Members workshops in the Barracks coordinated by Sue Jurd. We donated funds to SRAG for the acquisition budget for the Stanthorpe Art Prize and thanks to Krishna Heffernan for representing Borderline as sponsors on the opening nightOur Socials exposure on Face Book, organised by Helen Adams, has really taken off, and . Gay Landeta’s wrangling of the website continues to provide us with strong internet presence. Thank you ladies. All the executive have been working hard for the last year, supporting all our projects and activities, and as President I particularly want to thank them for their efforts and energy.
Thanks once again to the Historical Railway Society for our terrific home base, The Engine Drivers Barracks.
- What we have been up to over the last few years….
We have had a busy few years!
Our group exhibitions :
2026 :
- Regeneration | Surat on Balone Art Gallery, QLD | Sept 5 – Oct 18 |
- Regeneration and Renewal | Glen Innes Art Gallery, NSW | Aug 4 – Sept 11 |
- Regeneration Reimagine and Renewal | Bicentennial Art Gallery Gunnedah NSW | Mar 27 – May 8 |
2025 :
- Regeneration Reimagine and Renewal | Ceramic Break Sculpture Park, Warialda NSW | Sept 7 – Nov 9 |
- Flat Out Like a Lizard Drinking | Stanthorpe Regional Art Gallery, QLD | May 9 – July 6 |
- Flat Out | Texas Regional Art Gallery QLD | Aug 3 – Sept 12 |
(Note: the ‘Regeneration’ themed exhibitions were supported by a grant from Create NSW which also funded four workshops with guest tutors which stimulated work for the exhibitions.)
2024 :
- Borderline at Richard Randall Studios | Mt Cootha Botanical Gardens, Brisbane | Mar 29 – Apr 1 |
- Where I Find Peace | Rosalie Art Gallery, Goombungee QLD | Sep 11 – 13 Oct
- Borderline Winter | ACS Gallery Tenterfield NSW | June 22 – July 28
2023 :
- Journey on the Border | Inverell Art Gallery, NSW | June 9 – July 21
- Journey on the Border | Glen Innes Art Gallery, NSW | Mar 25 – Apr 22
- Open-Ended | Stanthorpe Regional Art Gallery QLD | Mar 2 – Apr 10
- Open-Ended Revised | Texas Art Gallery | Apr 11 – May 13
2022 :
- Journey on the Border | Surat on Balone Art Gallery, QLD | Oct 8 – Nov 20
(Note ‘Journey on the Border’ exhibitions were supported by funding from NSW Regional Arts Development Fund, which also provided a grant for a series of workshops in 2022)
2021 :
- Borderline at Artists Collective Studio | Tenterfield NSW | Oct 2 – Nov 1
- Prints from Borderline | Texas Regional Gallery, QLD | June 27 – July 30
- Beyond the Mask | Stanthorpe Regional Art Gallery, QLD | Apr 29 – June 13
- From Here To There | Warwick Art Gallery, QLD | Jan 28 – Mar 6
- Member4Members Workshops
Member4members Workshops
We are excited by this new concept, a way to harness all the brilliance of our members for other members benefit. Bi-monthly on a Saturday morning you will find one of our Borderline members as tutor, sharing techniques, skills or artful ideas to a small group setting (6 max) at the Railway Barracks.
Members get to develop skills and support another artist by contributing $20 to the tutor, the tutor gets to practice teaching and makes a bit of pocket money. It’s a win/win all round!Here is a beautiful result from our last workshop. Tutor Susan Heywood. Artist Sue Jurd (started in the morning session and completed at home).
- Images from our 2025 Workshop series….
Images from our 2025 Workshop series….
… much fun was had by all! Look out for members finished works in our Exhibition series REGENERATION REIMAGINE RENEW in 2026 …
This workshop series has been supported by the NSW Government through Create NSW
- The Presidents Report for 2024-25
The Presidents Report
Borderline Regional Arts Annual General Meeting September 2025
At the end of another busy year, I’d like to say many thanks to all those members who pitch in to make stuff happen.
September 2024 kicked off with members’ strong representation in the Stanthorpe Art Prize. Congratulations to those who made it through to become finalists. Hot on the heels of that Borderline’s exhibition at Rosalie Gallery “Where I Find Peace” finished. Thanks again to Susan Heywood for coordinating and Sue Jurd and others who helped with transporting works.
In October we had our second Artists Retreat at Tumbledown. Visitor numbers were up from our first visit and 8 people enjoyed the chance to stay over. Our Christmas Picnic Meeting for 2024 was at Storm King Dam with lovely weather, lots of food and friends and the meeting was brief.
Borderline’s exhibition calendar continued in 2025. In May at Stanthorpe Regional Art Gallery we had “Flat Out like a Lizard Drinking”. The number and range of works was amazing. Gallery staff and visitors commented on the high standard. A selection of work from this exhibition then went to Texas Regional Art Gallery. Thanks to Norm Clayton and Jane Henry for helping pack up at SRAG, Jane for transporting the works to Texas and coordinating the exhibition there. Thanks also to Jenni Gill and Sue Jurd for returning works and spreadsheeting. It was great to see many Borderliners at the opening and later Instagram feedback included positive comments from the galleries at Goondiwindi, Warwick and Gunnedah, as well as from visitors to the gallery. Next, our exhibition in August at Artworks Gallery in Stanthorpe “Prints on the Border” which also gives Borderline a place in the Granite Belt Art Trail. Thanks to Sue Jurd for organising that.
Borderline members then really went to town with unrestricted size and work numbers in our exhibition at Ceramic Break Sculpture Park at Warialda, ”Larger Than Life” which opened 7th September. Thanks to Sue and Bob Jurd for loading up their caravan to take the work out and Linda and Geoff Nye who will be bringing it back in another caravan. Our exhibition planning for next year, with grant assistance. takes us from Gunnedah to Surat via Glen Innes.
Our first grant application was to Creative Australia and was unsuccessful, we had another chance with Create NSW. Thanks go to Denise N.Rall who helped get the submission into a new format, backed by Sue Jurd with budgeting. Our new application, Regenerating Art Communities, was approved at the beginning of 2025. Part of the reason for its success was its emphasis on Cultural Access (a listed Priority Area for Funding) and its reach across the region from Liston to Deepwater with 4 workshops. These have been well attended so far with one more to go. Feedback has been very positive, and new members have joined up. The tutors have been impressed by Borderline’s culture of inclusiveness, and our drive to expand members’ experiences.
Thanks also need to go to members of the executive and committee who have kept up with the legislative changes for small associations – moving into a new era of bookkeeping and accounting – treasurer Sheryl Wright, which has also impacted the minutes secretary -Denise N.Rall .Also for jumping in whenever needed thanks to Vice President Sue Jurd, for maintaining the Borderline website, Gay Landeta, and for coordinating the Art Market Elisabeth Muller. Thanks to Jayne Barrett who now retires from being our email secretary for many years.
For Borderline to continue to be successful as a network and support for artists we need as many hands-on as can be mustered, so thanks again to all those who have put their hands up over the past year.
Liz Powell 11/09/2025
- Members Call for 2026!
What’s on for members in 2026?
• Stanthorpe Art Prize 2026 Entry forms are already available on line at SRAG website (this is the biannual major art prize)
• Stanthorpe Show 30 Jan to 1 February – Visual Arts section has been re-instituted and Borderline is a sponsor. Entry forms will be available on their website closer to the date.
• Tenterfield Show February 6, 7 and 8 – Visual Arts entries will be wanted. Borderline is a sponsor. Entry forms will be available on their website closer to the date
• Our travelling exhibition dates for ‘REGENERATION REIMAGINE RENEW’, appreciatively supported by the NSW Government through Create NSW, are :
- Gunnedah Regional Art Gallery 27 March to 8 May, 2026
- Glen Innes Art Gallery 3 August to 11 September, 2026
- Surat Art Gallery QLD 6 September to 19 October, 2026
• Borderline Artists Retreat at Tumbledown, again supported by the NSW Government through Create NSW, is set for April 17 to 19, Friday, Saturday & Sunday, 2026.
- Workshop Series 2025 progressing along ….
Workshop Series 2025 progressing along ….
Most grateful to NSW Government for grants supporting our workshop series this year, two down, two to go. Acrylic Painting and Etching ….
- GBART 2025 coming up!
GBART 2025 coming up soon!
GBART a festival of art and making coming up again this October 2025. Many of our members exhibit and teach during this celebration of creativity but this year Borderline Regional Arts will also have an exhibition up. Go to the GBART website https://gbart.org.au to learn more ….
- Other places to catch our members work…
Other places to catch our members work
While our members continue to be shown at many local galleries, including:
– The Artists Collective Studio, Rouse Street, Tenterfield
– Make-It, Rouse Street, Tenterfield
– Artworks, Stanthorpe Railway Precinct, Stanthorpe
– Stanthorpe Art Gallery, Stanthorpe
– Wallangara/Jennings Cafe Station, Wallangara, Jennings Railway Station.
– and more…You can also see (potential) prize winners at these events :
– Uralla Art Show, Uralla Showgrounds – many Borderline Members put pieces into this huge annual art event : March 28-31, 2025
– Armidale Art Prize, Armidale Art Gallery : April 5 – May 17, 2025
– ACS Art Prize, Artists Collective Studio, Tenterfield : April 16th – May 26th
- New exhibition opens September 22nd 2024
New exhibition opens September 22nd 2024
Several of our Artists will be sharing their works at Ceramic Break Sculpture Park in September and October – it looks to be a fabulous show! Nola Sindel. Botanical and Wildlife Artist , Gay Landeta Art, Jacqueline King – Contemporary Glass Artist & Sculptor, Elisabeth Muller Krishna Heffernan
And here are some of our past activities from our previous website!
Borderline Christmas Party on 4th December, 2017 was a very pleasant lunch at Jennings Hotel.
Sue Jurd will be hosting a Borderline sponsored workshop on Batik 1/12/2017. Sorry, the workshop is fully booked.
Borderline sponsored workshop: Pastry Making workshop with Helen Turrisi was held on Saturday 24 Sept 2016
Borderline sponsored workshop: ‘Art Matters’ with Nicole Sylvestre – bookings being taken now for 10 September 2016 – go to the Workshops page for further information. Drawing: from the Expected to the Unexpected uses a combination of observational drawing and intuition. The workshop will explore contemporary drawing processes, as well as develop an awareness and broader understanding of drawing. You will experiment with many techniques: with pencil, charcoal, ink, wax, masking tape & wet/dry paper. The drawings will be evocative, sustain your looking and bring out the poet in you, helping each student to find their own language.
Sheryl Wright hosted a Borderline sponsored workshop on Felting.
Jayne Barrett hosted a Borderline sponsored workshop on Papermaking on Saturday 28 May 2016.
Meeting report from our president Helen Turrisi: Thankyou to all who made the trip to our 14th Nov. meeting We covered a lot of ground . Louise took us thru the borderline website and it is a wealth of information This is part of what you pay membership fees for and it has a lot to offer please make the time to search around it and we would love members to get involved and get them selves up on the web site you can send a photo of you and your work and an artist statement via email to Louise. Theo has put his hand up to do the sectary job keeping us all updated and informed, a big thankyou Theo. Sheryl has fitted into the treasurers job like a glove and was eloquent in her reports. Jane brought her laptop and Sue took the minutes, thank you, your input was a big help, Judy had some valuable comments about placing work in local business and is following up on them. we had new members come and its great to get to know you and become supporting friends. Nicola from the Stanthorpe gallery has invited us back in 2017 for another Borderline exhibition, committee members are working on a name so that all artist can get their creative mojo happening for the big event, There was a lot more ! this is just an informal brief from me to connect with you, to thank those who attended Kind regards Helen Turrisi
The following Borderline artists participated in the Resonance artist talk at SRAG on 15 Oct 2015 – giving an insightful glimpse into the depth of integrity in each artist, as well as the diversity of talents within the group. Elspeth Cameron, Maggie Brockie, Norm Clayton, Raylee Delaney, Pam Docherty, Theo Gard, Judy Harris, Louise Jenkins, Nola Taylor, Gabriele Trabucco, Helen Turrisi For more information, including images, click on Resonance Artist Talk
Our SRAG exhibition ‘Resonance’ is now on, until 24 Oct 2015. Click here for images from the Resonance Opening night. There will be an artist talk for U3A on Thursday 15 Oct at 10:30.
There is a printing day being organised for Friday 31 July at the Tennis Club. Interested people please contact Sue or Nola, and come and learn about our new press. Beginners packs containing paper, ink, acetate sheet, tarlatan may be available for purchase.
Borderline has purchased a geared printing press with a maximum print area of 30.5cm x 63.5cm. The press will be be up and running for the Tenterfield Traveller print workshop in May, and will be available for weekly hire by members after that date. Details about hiring are available from the members page.
Artist in residency Tenterfield Traveller 2015 workshops with Christine Porter, Lindsay Hunt, and Jayne Barrett ran from May 25 to May31.
22 November 2014 Borderline’s Christmas party, generously hosted by Sue Jurd was a latex gloved hands on day experimenting with various paper embellishing techniques, including monoprinting, texturing with glue, marbling, spraying, rusting, shellac with charcoal. What a great lead into Jayne Barrett’s next bookmaking workshop (TBA soon!).
August 23/24 2014 – Read about the Blacksmithing and Welding Workshop at Fire & Stone, Tabulam.
24 Oct 2014 – Excursion to Tweed River Gallery to see Margaret Olley’s reconstructed studio. Transport is via shared car. Expression of interest forms have been emailed to members.
2 July 2014 – NERAM tour, Armidale. Transport is via shared cars – $10 for petrol. Expression of interest forms have been emailed to members.
19/20 June 2014 – Borderline is hosting a Bookmaking Workshop with Borderliner Jayne Barrett. Expression of interest forms have been emailed to members. Non-members should contact Borderline.
17 Feb 2014 – Seniors’ Week, Tenterfield, 17 March 2014, beginning 10.00am at the Golf Club. 6 Borderline members will be demonstrating throughout the day: John Donnelly, Sue Jurd, Shirley Caldwell, Nola Sindel, Pam Docherty, Chris Hangan.
17 Feb 2014 – Borderline is investigating organising a weekend at Fire and Stone Sculpture Park, Tabulum. Members can see the newsletter for more details. The weekend may include a 1 or 2 day workshop with Michael Taylor, and a blacksmithing workshop with Jim Grasby and Keith Cameron. Sue Jurd is investigating.
17 Feb 2014 – Artworks on Davadi has offered to host a Borderline exhibition from 6 May 2014 to 31 July. Borderliner Judy Pidgeon will coordinate.
Tenterfield Traveller 2014 plans are underway for the period 13 June – 22 June 2014. The sub-committee consists of Sue Jurd, Shirley Caldwell, and Gail Galloway.
21 Dec 2013 – Borderline’s 2013 Christmas party plans are underway – we’ll spend a day of fabric dyeing at Sue Jurd’s. Bring lunch to share! See the newsletter for more details.
25 July 2013 – 1 Sep 2013 Borderline’s major 2013 members only exhibition “Looking Out : Looking In”, was staged at the Stanthorpe Regional Art Gallery. For images, click on Looking Out : Looking In
15 June 2013 – 22 June 2013 Borderline’s Tenterfield Traveller’s program was a great success, and is being considered for a future format. Many thanks to Artist in Residency Christine Porter. Click on Tenterfield Traveller for more details.
15 Dec 2012 Borderline’s Christmas Party day. Sue Jurd is keeping the agenda is a surprise, however expect some travelling between venues, and a Christmas lunch. Borderliners and their family members are welcome.
23 June 2012 Borderline’s float in Tenterfield’s 2012 Wintersong street parade was a real eye catcher. Not only was the van itself painted with artistic gusto, but it was also adorned with rolls of canvas, easels, palettes and paint brushes, how-to books, streamers, balloons, and even finished art works! Thanks to Chris and Tony Hanagan for making their van available and the effort involved with making it look “awesome”. Congratulations Borderline for winning ‘Best Float’ in the parade! Check it out at Wintersong parade 2012.
3 June 2012 – 3 July 2012 Borderline exhibition ‘Artsong‘ at the Forest to Furniture Gallery, Tenterfield,was held to coincide with Tenterfield’s Wintersong carnival.
31 Mar 2012 – 2 May 2012 Borderline exhibition ‘Shine:enihS’ at the Texas Art Gallery.
17 Dec 2011 Borderline’s ‘Paint Pot and Print’ Christmas Fun Day. A fabulous Day spent at Graeme Schreiber’s Bush Rock Gallery and Eva and Bent Rasmussens pottery and print studios, capped off by a wonderful Christmas spread at the Jennings Hotel.
26 Aug 2011 – 02 Oct 2011 ‘State of Flux’ members’ exhibition at the Stanthorpe Regional Art Gallery. The members of Borderline have taken up the challenge of addressing the fascinating theme of flux. Although this exhibition is now closed, you can see read about it, and view images from the opening night by clicking State of Flux.
02 Sep 2011 Presentation of an etching collage created for Millrace Aged Hostel by Borderline, using prints created by the public under the guidence of Borderline. Click on Millrace for more information, and an image taken at the presentation.
08 Oct 2011 – 04 Nov 2011 ‘Shine‘ members’ exhibition at the Glen Innes Art Gallery. Allowing artistic talent to ‘Shine’.
22 Oct 2011 Borderline members were available at the Tenterfield Showground ‘Showing Off’ Family Fun Day to answer any queries about the presentation requirements for art work at the Tenterfield Show. For anyone who did not attend, please make sure that any 2D artwork being entered for the show is presented ready for hanging on a hook. It is sufficient to have a string or wire suited to the weight of the work, firmly secured across the back. Art works need not be framed, however they must be well supported (able to withstand potential breezy gusts from nearby doors), and in the case of 2D works, well secured to their hanging device. A work on paper for example need not be behind glass, however it must be secured to a supportive and hangable backing. Last year the art stewards were contending with pictures which were falling out of cheap frames, or had strings attached to canvas backs with loose drawing pins. These are unacceptable. The next Tenterfield show is 27/28/29 January 2012. The show schedule is not out yet, but it will reveal a revamp of entry categories in the art sections.